Black Butler: The Demon Plague
by BlackButlerFan13
Summary: Sebastian had been the one to spread the Black Death into Europe, and he marveled at the great amount of suffering that it caused. Now something strange is happening. Demons are getting sick... REALLY sick. When it suddenly infects Sebastian, Ciel takes drastic measures to find the answers he needs to save his butler. But will he save him in time? PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Europe, 1347 . . .

The demon looked on, marveling at his work. Who knew the fleas on a bunch of rats could help him do all this; the coughing . . . the moaning . . . the smell of death in the streets and in every house. A fellow demon in Asia had started this a while back and had left it to him to keep it spreading.

He hadn't fed this well in ages. Though, most of these people had low-quality souls hardly worth sampling. Hell, he could even taste the sickness in the souls, which tampered with the flavor like urine did with water. It made him never want to eat again.

"'The Black Death' . . ." the demon hummed to himself, "What a very appropriate name."

He observed a bluish, purplish, black is sore that was planted on a man's chest. It oozed the choking scent of sickness, infection, and death. His soul might not be worth the efforts, but things had been boring these past few centuries.

Death must have been closing in on the man, because suddenly his eyes settled on him, filled with terror. Through this man's coughing fits and blurred vision, he managed to scramble backwards about ten feet with fear flickering in the dimming color of his eyes.

"S-stay . . . away . . . from . . . m-me!" he choked out.

The demon raised a brow at him. Whether it was out of curiosity or annoyance, he couldn't tell. Whatever emotions he could feel overlapped with each other. Sad was angry, happy was content, frustrated was confused, and love and joy . . . there was no such thing.

He took a step towards the man, his black heeled boots clicking against the cobblestone surface of the street.

"You don't need to fear me . . ." he stated, "Your time in this world is nearly done, anyways. I am simply marveling in the work I've done here."

As he spoke, he was aware of a shadow leaping over the roofs of the two buildings they were between. He knew what it was. Reapers: they were no more of a pest to his kind than the green eyed beings viewed the demon species to be.

A shadow dropped beside the demon. The human could not see him, but the demon could, and it disgusted him.

"That will be quite enough of _that_, you vile creature." The reaper said, adjusting his pair of round-lensed spectacles; a symbol of a Reaper-in-training.

The demon snorted in irritation, "It's alright, I was just about to leave, anyways."

"You're leaving with this human's soul intact? Are you sure this illness you've been spreading hasn't infected you, as well?"

The demon shook his head, his long, raven-like hair flipping back over his shoulders, "You should know better, William; demons don't get sick."

"But even you never miss out on an opportunity for a good meal, Michaelis."

"It would seem I've messily sampled every dish there is to be had here; I've no room for that one. He smells like he's spoiled already, anyways. I'm sick and tired of these low quality souls. I'll never eat one again."

"You're just saying that."

"Mark my words, William T. Spears, mark them now: I shall never in my existence consume such rubbish as a low-quality soul again!"

The demon turned his back on the Reaper, "Anyways . . . I'm going to try to spread the plague to the States. Would you like to come and watch?"

The Reaper shook his head, "Sorry, England is my stationed area."

"Huh, you're going to miss out."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll hear about it from dispatch in about a decade or so."

A dark chuckle left the demon's mouth. He enjoyed doing this to humans . . . he enjoyed watching them suffer. Though, they knew nothing of true suffering. Hell had more to offer in terms of pain and suffering than the human realm would ever have. He envied them . . . and was annoyed by them. The slightest pain they felt made them complain . . . no wonder almost every soul of the damned screamed for centuries on end before they grew accustomed to it.

"I hope you find out what this is like, demon!" the dying man on the street yelled to him, "I hope there is a plague, one day, which will wipe out your own kind!"


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The three servants stood before him with fear in their eyes. It didn't matter how hard they tried to hide it and keep their composure. The look on the butler's face said it all: they had screwed up, and this time it would not be so easily forgiven. Expensive items, broken. A once-beautiful garden that had been abundant in blooming flowers and healthy vegetation was now without a single living plant. And now the kitchen and every bit of food in it was now burned to a crisp, black shell.

"We're so sorry, Sebastian! We didn't mean to!" the three servants cried.

The butler shook his head. Of all the mistakes they'd made, these were—by far—the worst. They would take _hours_, if not _days_, for the able butler to repair all the damage, and that was time they didn't have. And of _all_ days to mess the manor up, today had to be _the worst_.

"Really, now . . ." Sebastian muttered, "Lady Elizabeth and her family will be here within the hour for the Lady's birthday. These mistakes will not go unnoticed."

Finnian, Mey-Rin, and Baldroy nodded with their heads hung low. If they weren't going to be fired by their master, they were definitely going to be punished severely. They would probably have darts thrown at them or they were going to be beaten senseless.

"_Sebastian_!"

There was no bell; no notification from the house steward, Tanaka. There was only the angry shouts of the head of the house, Ciel Phantomhive. This definitely was no simple request for a sweet treat or to retrieve something. Ciel only yelled like that when there was a punishment to be had.

Sebastian sighed, "While I go tend to the young master, I want you three to clean up as much as you possibly can before lady Elizabeth arrives. I will help you clean up when I return."

The three servants nodded and dashed off and began to clean as if their lives depended on it, which they most likely did.

Meanwhile, Sebastian hurried to Ciel's study; where the angry shout had come from. He wasn't looking forward to whatever punishment he was about to receive, but he knew it would grow worse for him the longer he kept his master waiting.

"_Sebastian_!"

Another shout, and it was louder and angrier this time.

Sebastian hurried to the door and knocked on it abruptly.

"Get in here!" Ciel growled from beyond the door.

The butler entered his master's study and stood before him.

His master was no older than thirteen years old, but he held a great amount of power. It all might have been coming from his title as the Earl of Phantomhive and the Faustian Contract mark that was placed on his right eye—giving it a soft shade of purple in the color of his iris while the other was a demanding shade of blue—but it didn't change the fact that he was Sebastian's master and, therefore, the teens wants and need came before his own.

Simply by looking at him, Sebastian could tell this was going to be a long conversation. Both eyes held the flames of rage in them and his mouth was drawn into an inhuman snarl. He might have been half the butler's size, but his aggression he showed was enough to force him—a demon—to cave to his dominance.

"You idiot! How could you let this happen? Today, of all days, Sebastian!"

Ciel spat the words with a potent venom that weakened Sebastian's composure bit by bit. But he straightened his posture and lifted his head as he replied.

"I am sorry, sir. Those three have never made mistakes that were this bad. We're working on the clean-up and repairs, as we speak."

Something stung the side of his face. Ciel's hand made contact with the butler's cheek in an aggressive slap. The sound echoed throughout the room and the force of the blow left a light bluish-black mark there.

"One hour!" Ciel hissed, "Elizabeth is coming over in less than one hour, and there is nothing for her. The garden's a wreck, the mansion's a mess, and we don't even have any matching tea sets left. What do you expect to do about this?"

"I'm not sure, master," Sebastian confessed, "But I can assure you things will be ready in time for Lady Elizabeth."

Ciel delivered another slap to the butler's face and grabbed him by his tie, yanking him to his eye level roughly.

"One. Hour . . . You have one hour. I swear, if I have to deal with another temper tantrum from Elizabeth because of this, you _will_ be punished."

"Understood."

Sebastian bowed once and left. His hand strayed to the marks left by the slaps he'd received. The marks were most likely caused by the rings Ciel had been wearing. He had never imagined the teen would strike him with his ring-hand, only making the message clearer that he was to correct these errors without fail.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Preparing the Phantomhive manor for Lady Elizabeth's arrival was an incredible challenge, even for Sebastian. The servants had to work four times faster than their normal pace. Cleaning up the items that had been broken proved to be the easiest part of the cleaning. However, the scorched kitchen and ruined garden would be harder mistakes to cover up. And since Lady Elizabeth's mother was notorious for going over the manor, its servants, and its head with a fine-toothed comb, it would be difficult for Sebastian to fulfill his promise to Ciel to make things ready in time.

Sebastian helped Finny clean out the garden while ordering Mey-Rin and Baldroy to clean up what they could in the kitchen without causing and more fires or explosions. The butler dashed back and forth between both tasks at a full sprint. He was aware of the fact that the tasks tired him slightly, but he paid no mind to it. The action of dashing back and forth was taxing, even on a demon's body.

Just as the last of the dead vegetation was removed from the garden and just as the last scorch mark was wiped away, the clopping of hooves and the rattling of a carriage could be heard approaching the manor from the front drive. Even from that distance, the servants could hear the excited squeals that normally rang out when the Middleford's arrived.

Lady Elizabeth was upon them.

The moment the carriage came to a halt, a girl in a soft pink dress and bonnet burst out from within. Her long blond hair was elegantly curled and her face held the brightest, most perfect smile to ever light up the property. She gave Sebastian a brief greeting before running past him and disappearing into the mansion. Well, there was no way for him to get away with running in after her as the rest of the carriage's passengers exited and stood before him: a young man with short blond hair and a dignified noblewoman who scowled at him with crossed arms.

"Marchioness Middleford, Sir Edward, welcome." Sebastian greeted, ignoring the ache he felt in his forehead, most likely from Elizabeth's squealing.

"Just as indecent as ever, Sebastian." The Marchioness sneered with an upturned nose, "You just don't know how to keep your fringe out of your face—or shorten it, for that matter—do you?"

While Edward passed by Sebastian and headed inside, Frances Middleford was on a Hell-bent mission to brush back the butler's hair, much like she had done countless times before.

However, as she reached out for him, she noticed the mark that had been caused when Ciel had slapped him.

"What happened?" she asked.

"It's nothing, Marchioness." Sebastian replied, "There was just a slight incident this morning."

"Right . . . Ciel probably slapped you for being too cheeky, as always."

The statement was not totally incorrect, but either way Sebastian didn't say anything more about the subject.

The Marchioness reached toward his hair once more. But just before they could touch him, she paused.

"Are you ill?" she asked suddenly.

"No, ma'am, I feel fine. Why?"

"Heat's radiating off your forehead like fire." She rested a palm on his forehead. It was definitely warmer than what it should; feverish, almost, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine, my lady. Now please, allow me to escort you inside."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Many stressful hours of work and joyful squeals from Elizabeth passed and, as impossible as it seemed, Sebastian managed to keep his promise. No matter how many times Frances Middleford combed through the manor, Sebastian had made absolutely sure that neither her nor Elizabeth or her brother found out about the messes still left of the kitchen and garden.

Unfortunately, though, his exhausting efforts did not ease his headache. There were times where it was dull enough for the butler to ignore it completely, and then there were times it felt as though his skull could burst. Just as well, the tired feeling he had felt as he was rushing to prepare the manor hadn't subsided and the bruises from being slapped with Ciel's ring-hand hadn't faded at all, even though Sebastian had been known to heal from mere cuts and bruises in a matter of minutes.

But Sebastian didn't think on it too much. He had had his fair share of off-days before where wounds didn't heal magically in a matter of minutes, or he had been equally matched in a fight, if not nearly defeated. His human appearance was a troublesome form full of constant maintenance. Wounds healed slower, unless he bid otherwise; unlike his demon form, where almost any wound could heal automatically.

He couldn't help but sigh with relief as he watched the Middleford's pull out of the front drive. Sebastian didn't want to admit it to himself, but he was exhausted. His eyes felt heavy, his head felt foggy, and his legs felt like they had anchors strapped to them; his headache was also growing worse.

"I feel . . ." Sebastian thought to himself, "No . . . no, I'm not sick. Just a bit tired, that's all."

Later that evening, the butler prepared Ciel for bed; changing him out of his clothes, bathing him, and dressing him in a nightshirt, which had originally been older dress shirts from Sebastian; explaining why they were so large on the teen.

"I'm rather pleased with you, Sebastian." Ciel commented, "It must have taken a lot to pull that off."

"No, sir." Sebastian stated, "I merely fulfilled you order, as you wished."

"You did well today."

"Well, if I couldn't do this much for my young master, then what kind of butler would I be?"

"Sebastian . . ."

"Yes, sir?"

" . . . You're warm . . ."

Ciel rested a hand on his forehead and flinched, "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, sir. I have a slight headache and I'm rather tired, but I feel perfectly fine."

Ciel shook his head, "You feel like you're burning up."

"I feel fine, master, I assure you. I'm not afraid of a little hard work."

"Alright," Ciel said, "But take the rest of the night off and get some rest, just in case."

Sebastian gave a curt bow, "Yes, my lord."

The butler tucked Ciel into bed and exited his master's room.

Rest: something he normally didn't need, nor had it ever been given to him.

Sebastian tugged off one of his fine, white gloves and laid a hand on his forehead. He had to admit to himself that his temperature was higher than usual, but it wasn't so bad he was concerned.

"Perhaps it's a cold . . ." he said to himself, "Demons are susceptible to some common human illnesses. It's nothing to be concerned about."

At least that's what he told himself.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Sebastian didn't even recall falling asleep. He didn't remember crawling under the covers or resting his head on the down-filled pillows. He could only piece things together and say he had, at one point or another, crawled into his bed in the servants' quarters and fell asleep; a luxury in his world and one he tried not to develop into a habit. Laziness was a butler's enemy.

As Sebastian woke up, he realized he didn't feel any less tired than he did the day before. And something felt . . . _off_.

The butler tried to sit up in his bed, but was instantly knocked back down onto the mattress and pillows by a massive headache. The pain made some part inside his head throb erratically. As he continued to rest his head against the pillows, Sebastian found it increasingly hard to stay awake. He felt too exhausted to move.

"No, no . . ." He told himself, "I have to get up."

Sebastian, fighting pain and a dizziness in his head, rose from his bed and dressed himself in his usual butler attire: a pair of black trousers, a white dress shirt, a black tailcoat, a pair of dress shoes, and a silky black necktie.

It wasn't until the butler looked himself over in a mirror that he realized something that concerned him. It was the bruise that had been left when Ciel had slapped him. It was still there and it was darker and it hurt slightly more so than it had the day before. Sebastian knew humans healed slowly, but _he_ had never healed _this_ slowly.

"I don't understand this at all." Sebastian said to himself, "It should have healed by now."

Sebastian turned away from his reflection, ". . . How bothersome . . ."

Sebastian momentarily shifted into his demon form, hoping the change would cause the wound to heal quicker than it would in his human form. However, as he shifted back, he was aware of the fact that the place where the bruise had been still hurt just as badly as it had a minute ago. When he looked back into the mirror, Sebastian's face fell in disappointment. Indeed, the bruise was still there. It had neither shrunk in size nor had it faded in color. For once, Sebastian was _unable_ to heal himself.

"What is this?" Sebastian asked himself, "Young Master . . . you brat! What the hell did you do?"

As Sebastian examined himself further, he noticed a discolored spot on the side of his neck. He brushed his hair back behind his ear and pulled down on the collar of his shirt to look the spot over. It hurt just as bad as the mark on his cheek and it was the same blackish-blue in color.

Sebastian immediately pulled the collar of his shirt over the second bruise, hoping he'd be able to hide it from Ciel and the four other servants of the house. He quickly slipped on his white gloves and exited his room to prepare his master's breakfast and wake the other servants.

As he walked down the hallway, Sebastian found that one of the other servants had already woken himself up. It was Tanaka, the house steward. The elderly man, in his taller, more-able form, laid his eyes on him and a worried expression crossed his face.

"Are you feeling alright, Sebastian."

Sebastian was, for once in his life, unsure of how to answer the elder servant. His head throbbed, he was dizzy, he felt completely drained of energy, and now a burning sensation had started in his throat. He wanted to cough. To say he was alright would be an utter lie.

"I'm fine, Tanaka." The butler replied, "I'm just feeling a bit off today, is all."

Tanaka shook his head. He didn't believe Sebastian's words for a minute, and the slight raspiness he had in his voice didn't do anything to help convince him.

"If you'd please bend down, Sebastian . . ." Tanaka finally stated, slipping a white glove off of one of his hands. Sebastian did as he was told and dipped his head until it was at the steward's level. The moment his hand made contact with his forehead, Tanaka drew his hand back.

"You're burning up. I think it would be better for you if you'd go back to bed. I can take care of things until you feel better."

"Are you sure you're up to it, Tanaka? I can still get around on my own. I'm perfectly capable of . . ."

At that moment, the cough Sebastian had been holding in all that time became too irritating to hold in any more. The butler collapsed to his knees as his body shook in a massive coughing fit. Each time he tried to inhale his breaths stopped, keeping air from entering his lungs and making breathing in general miserable. It was as if there was no air to breathe.

With his last coughs, Sebastian felt a liquid expel itself from his throat and soak into his palm. The coughing fit left him feeling weak and tired; more so than he had before.

Tanaka knelt down beside him with heavy concern coating his face. To see the Phantomhive butler: a man who had not been stopped by bullets, knives, or any other weapons—a powerful demon, no less—in this condition wasn't a good sign.

As Sebastian pulled his hand away from his mouth, he recoiled in shock. A bright scarlet stain coated his palm and fingers. He had coughed up blood, and even for demons that was a very bad thing.

"Sebastian . . ." Tanaka spoke up, stuttering as he did so, "I really think you should go back to bed. I don't know much about the kinds of illnesses demons can contract, but even I know that coughing up blood isn't normal."

Sebastian shot the steward a dumbfounded look, "How did you know I was a . . ."

"I figured it out about a month ago, but you've done nothing to harm Ciel or any of us, so I just kept quiet about it."

The butler nodded his thanks and struggled back to his feet. Using the wall for support, he shuffled back to his bedchambers and sat down on the bed with Tanaka not far behind. Sebastian slipped out of his shoes and took off his tailcoat, and as he loosened his tie, the collar to his dress shirt came away from his neck and exposed the second bruise, which caught Tanaka's attention.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I just woke up this morning and it was there."

"And the one on your cheek must be the one from the young master, then."

"Yes."

"It looks larger than before."

"It is . . . Larger and more painful; same thing with the other one."

Indeed . . . this was a strange illness Sebastian had developed, but neither of them knew for sure what it was.

Or how bad it would get.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"What do you mean Sebastian's sick?"

Ciel was caught by surprise when it was old Tanaka who woke him up that morning. Sebastian had seemed perfectly fine the night before, aside from his unusual tiredness and a high temperature than what the Earl deemed normal for his butler. He didn't think it was anything to be too concerned about. But here was Tanaka, buttoning his shirt and securing a bowtie around his neck. Here was Tanaka, serving his morning tea and reading off his breakfast menu. Here was Tanaka . . . instead of Sebastian.

"I'm afraid Mr. Sebastian hasn't been feeling very well, as of late." Tanaka explained, "And it could be a while before he's better."

"He told me last night all it had been was a headache and that he had been feeling slightly tired. How much worse could he have gotten in just one night?"

Tanaka only explained that Sebastian's fever had worsened and he had grown weaker since the Earl last saw him. However, he was careful to leave out the butler's earlier coughing fit and the fact he had been coughing up blood. The last thing they both wanted to face was the fact that Sebastian might _not_ get better.

Ciel's own curiosity got the better of him. After dismissing Tanaka and practically forgetting about breakfast, he made his way down towards the servants' quarters and to Sebastian's room.

Even in his own mansion, the surroundings were strange. The servants' quarters were located on the first floor. The hallway was tucked away in an unseen corner. It was nowhere near as fancy or welcoming as the rest of the manor; so dull and lifeless. But . . . this _was_ meant for _servants_, after all.

Ciel stopped in front of the door to his butler's room. For a moment, he wondered just what sort of state he'd find Sebastian in. In the room beyond the door, Ciel could hear nothing. He could only assume that his butler was either asleep or suffering this "sickness" in bitter silence.

Ciel knocked on the door briefly, "Sebastian, are you alright?"

No response came from beyond the door, and so Ciel knocked again. After receiving the same results three more times, he finally opened the door.

Inside, Sebastian was curled up in bed; the single blanket that had always been covering it was wrapped closely around his form. A thin sheen of sweat coated his face. The bruise from the day before, Ciel realized, was darker and larger that it was when he last saw it. But there had to be more to this sickness than just that, otherwise—even in this condition—Sebastian would have still fought through it to serve him.

Looking around, Ciel noticed one of the many pairs of white gloves his butler wore sitting on the small table next to his bed. He approached them and took one of them into his hands. The white fabric was stained with blood; not so unusual, since Sebastian had been known to fight enemies of the family and return with both glove thoroughly saturated in the stick, maroon substance. But this only stained one glove and the stain was no bigger than the pocket watch Sebastian carried with him.

Ciel set the glove back down, trying to hide the worry that was consuming him from the inside out. He didn't want to think that the blood had come from Sebastian.

Turning his attention back to the butler, he noticed the raven-haired man was shivering profusely. Even in the coldest of winters in England, Sebastian had not shivered in the slightest way. Now the trembling shook his body, and Ciel was almost certain he could hear Sebastian's teeth chattering.

Ciel moved closer to him and rested a hand against the man's forehead. He instantly drew his hand back. There was no doubt in his mind that Sebastian had a fever. His whole face and skin was boiling-hot.

A discoloration on the butler's neck caught Ciel's attention. A second bruise; one that he hadn't caused. Could it have happened while he was cleaning the other day?

"Sebastian?" Ciel called out softly, "Sebastian wake up."

Sebastian stirred in his cocoon of sheets and blankets and moaned slightly as his eyes fluttered open.

"Young Master?" his voice was soft and groggy. It was obvious to Ciel that he had been sleeping, "What's wrong?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Ciel remarked, "You look pretty awful."

Sebastian shook his head, "Just a cold . . . It'll be better by morning."

"I think not. You have a fever and you're shivering." Ciel grabbed the blood-stained glove from the nearby table, "And I don't think I want to know what happened here."

"It was just a slight incident, nothing more."

"Just rest until you're better, and don't make me order you. I will have Tanaka check on you every so often."

Sebastian shook his head again as he rested his head back on the pillows, unconsciousness pulling him in once more.

"That is unnecessary. . . I'm fine."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

For the longest time, it seemed, Ciel was caught up in the task of trying to identify Sebastian's illness. It seemed he had pulled every book in the library, searched every resource, asked every person, and turned over every rock and stone to get the answers he needed. But despite his best efforts, nothing came up. Not a single book told him about any demonic illnesses, not a single resource held any information, not a single person could tell him of anything the demon could have contracted, and not a single thing he found gave him a direct answer to his question: what was wrong with Sebastian?

However, there was still one more person Ciel could ask; someone he had avoided going to for answers for quite some time . . .

Undertaker.

The old lunatic had to know _something_. He at least had to know what it _could_ _be_, how it was caused, and how it could possibly be cured. Of course, there'd be a price to pay to get any answers from Undertaker, and Ciel hadn't the faintest idea of how to pay it himself. That was Sebastian's job.

He didn't hesitate as he walked into the old grey funeral parlor, looking around for the undertaker amongst his many coffins.

"Undertaker, are you here?" he called out.

A dark, raspy chuckle could be heard from somewhere inside, "Welcome, my young earl."

"Please, Undertaker, I don't have time for games today."

"Oh, my! I thought the Queen's Guard Dog loved games." A man in a long, black overcoat and a top hat stepped out from a hidden corner. His long silver hair grew straight to the middle of his back and his thick, long, messy bangs hid the upper portion of his face and eyes; his bright green eyes peaking from between locks from time to time. His mouth stretched into a wide smile, "So what brings you here today? A fitting for one of my fine coffins?"

"No, it's not that. I need answers to . . ."

"Well, you know what I require for that, Lord Phantomhive. And seeing how that hilarious butler of yours isn't with you today, I'll assume you'll be paying me yourself."

Ciel gritted his teeth. How _did_ Sebastian get the undertaker to laugh? It was so easy to for him. Yet, whatever Ciel came up with didn't even make the madman snigger.

"Look, I don't have time for this." Ciel huffed, "Sebastian could be dying of the plague, for all I know, and I need to find something that will help him!"

At that moment, Undertaker collapsed to the floor, laughing like the loon he was.

"That was brilliant, my lord!" he cackled, "To make such a statement about such a person . . . My god, you don't even know _who_ your precious butler really is, do you?"

Ciel snorted, "Well then, I guess you could answer that too, while you're at it."

Undertaker sat himself up and sat down on one of his coffins.

"It should come as no little to no surprise to you, my earl, that I know your butler's secret." He started, "Old men like me can pick up on these kinds of things."

"So you know," Ciel sighed, "What does that have to do with it?"

"Well, you should probably know that your servant was actually the demon who spread the Black Death into Europe back in 1347."

Ciel flinched, having not been told by any of this information before, "I thought the Black Death had been caused by an infestation of black rats infested with fleas."

"It was." Undertaker confirmed, "That's why it was spread so quickly, by a demon by the name of Michaelis. He attempted to spread it to the United States. No one knows for sure why he didn't . . . But there is a legend about one of his victims."

Ciel leaned in close and listened.

"It was said that a man on his death bed, dying of the plague, had seen him. Unwilling to accept his death completely, this man supposedly cursed him to die a much similar death." The smile grew on Undertaker's face, "Which must explain you earlier statement. You said that Sebastian has fallen mysteriously ill?"

"I did." Ciel nodded, "He's feverish, he has chills, bruises are appearing on his skin out of nowhere, and I think he's been coughing up blood. Do you know what it could possibly be?"

The smile vanished from Undertaker's face as he pondered over what he was just told, "You know . . . a spider demon crawled his way in here just the other day with a much similar problem with one of his servants. He was asking me for the cure to the Black Flu—or to more-simply put—the Demonic Plague. It's like an advanced form of the Black Death Michaelis originally spread through Europe over five-hundred years ago."

"Is there a cure? How is it even caused?"

"Well, the exact cause is unknown. Some demons think it comes from the human flu virus and grows from there. Others say it comes from their masters as some form of sick punishment. But it's detected in the same way: when wounds stop healing themselves."

Ciel's thoughts instantly backtracked to the bruises he had left when he had slapped Sebastian. Sebastian could normally heal from bruises in a matter of minutes, but it had been three days since then. Could Sebastian really have the Demonic Plague, if that were the case?

"What about a cure?" he asked eagerly, "You said something about a cure."

"I only said a spider demon came here looking for the cure. Unfortunately, I don't have it."

"So there is a cure?"

"There are many stories that I've picked up over the years. The herb mentioned is said to be very difficult to find. Some say it doesn't even exist."

Ciel groaned in frustration, "Well . . . what is this herb called? What does it look like?"

"The herb is called the Black Demon Root. It's poisonous to humans, but apparently it has a taste demons love and it can heal any injury a demon has faced and any sickness a demon could have. The Black Demon Plant . . . well I don't know what it looks like. Even I've never seen it before."

Ciel pondered over the information. The cure to this was difficult to find, if it in fact existed at all.

"This plague . . ." he said, "Is it contagious? Could Sebastian die from this?"

"The plague, as far as I know, is only contagious to demons that have not had the cure passed down to them through previous generations." Undertaker said, "Thus why it's called 'The Demonic Plague'. Unfortunately, I've never heard of a demon surviving the plague. Some might be immune to it, but most aren't."

Ciel nodded and stood to leave. How was he ever going to break this news to the rest of the staff? What about his contract with Sebastian?

And then he thought of something . . .

"Undertaker! Who exactly was this spider demon and where can I find him?"


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Ciel sat with the telephone grasped in his hand.

"Come on . . . pick up!"

He could hear ringing on the other end of the line and he was hoping someone, _anyone_, would pick up.

At last the ringing stopped and a masculine voice spoke to him.

"Hello?"

"Hello . . ." Ciel greeted rather awkwardly, "Is this the Trancy manor?"

"This is. May I ask who's calling?"

"My name is Ciel Phantomhive. I need to speak with a Mr. Claude Faustus."

". . ."

"Hello . . .?"

". . . This is Claude Faustus."

"Listen . . . I was told by someone that you could possibly help me with something."

Ciel could hear Claude hum from somewhere on the other end of the line, "That depends on the problem at hand."

"One of my servants has fallen ill. I was told it could be something called the Black Flu. I know nothing about this illness other than what I've observed, and I've also been told it could possibly kill him."

Claude relieved what couldn't be described as a sigh nor a shutter, "W-What exactly has been happening with . . . this servant?"

"I-I'm not sure. He has a really bad fever, chills, some random bruises that aren't healing, and . . ."

" . . . 'And' . . .?"

" . . . And he's been coughing up blood. I'm sure he's been going through coughing fits as well."

"Has he been vomiting blood, as well?"

"Not from what I saw."

The line was silent for several minutes as Claude turned the information over in his mind.

"I'm not normally one to give my medical advice to anyone than those I'm indentured to . . . but this sounds serious. How soon can you come over with this servant?"

"We should make it there by sundown."

"The sooner your servant is here, the better. But, without a cure, there's not much I'll be able to do."

"I understand that. I'll be there soon . . ."

And with that, Ciel hung up.

* * *

Claude set the phone down slowly, a wide smile crossing his face; a rare occurrence.

"Ciel Phantomhive . . ." he hummed to himself. But he could only enjoy his thoughts for a moment before the sound of someone coughing caught his attention. He rushed to a nearby guest room where a young man laid on a bed, coughing profusely. Next to him sat his two identical brothers, trying their best to comfort him while a young maid with lavender hair stood close by watching sadly.

"Take it easy, Thompson." Claude said soothingly, doing what he could to calm the younger demon's coughing fit.

"You can help him, right?" one of the triplets, whose voice was slightly deeper than Thompson's, asked.

"Yes," the third triplet chimed in; his voice was the deepest of the three, "You'll be able to help him, right Claude?"

It wasn't until then that the realization hit Claude. He couldn't harm Ciel Phantomhive, or the violently ill servant he mentioned over the phone. It was his own master's wish to obtain the young earl—for reasons that didn't make any sense to the demon—but this wouldn't be the right time. Not when he knew Sebastian could already be suffering death, as he knew of the raven demon's contract with Ciel and that Sebastian had to be the only demon in the Phantomhive household, and therefore the only one able to contract the Black Flu. Now was not the right time to obtain Ciel Phantomhive, but rather help him.

Claude shook his head at the two other demons, "I'm not sure."

The two triplets—Timber and Canterbury—nodded with their heads hung low.

"Now . . ." Claude stated, "I'd like you to bring an extra bed in here. We'll be receiving guests later on, sometime today. One of them has apparently come down with the Demonic Plague."

* * *

**"OMG! WHAT THE HELL!" **  
I'm sorry. I know that was a short chapter. I promise the next one will be longer!

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE 5/16/2014**

_"I would like to personally thank everyone who has been reviewing and favoriting and following this story. You have no idea how excited i get to read reviews about a chapter. I think i can happily say that this has been my most popular fanfiction yet. A few of mine don't even get reviews anymore, and if they do they're few and far between. Feel free to check out those works as well and keep a look out for the next update!"_

**-BlackButlerFan13**


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Are you sure about this, Young Master?"

Tanaka followed closely behind Ciel as they made their way towards Sebastian's room. Ciel had already ordered more sheets and blankets to cover Sebastian, as the butler had started to say he was too cold.

"Claude is the only one who might be able to help us." Ciel replied, "I'm sure he'll know what's happening."

"Young Master . . ." Tanaka spoke up, "I do not trust the Tracy's, or any of their servants. They're a suspicious bunch."

Ciel nodded, "But they'll know something. They can at least make Sebastian more comfortable than we could."

From down the hall, the sound of coughing alerted them. Tanaka instantly ran to the room it was coming from; Sebastian's room.

Inside, Sebastian's body shook with each cough. His eyes were glassy and just barely open. His skin had now grown pale with only a slight flush of red in his face. The placement of the bruises had grown even more random. His fingers, even, were able to leave the blackish-blue marks if he clutched at himself too tightly, and a few darker patches had appeared on his chest and back. The sight was awful and sent a sick feeling shooting through Ciel's stomach.

The cloth Sebastian had resorted to coughing into was now covered in thick patches of blood. It sprayed from his throat when he coughed, and it had started flowing out of his mouth as he slept, at which point Tanaka had started watching over him out of the fear that the butler could inhale it again and suffocate.

When the coughing fit passed, Sebastian curled up tighter inside his cocoon of sheets and blankets.

"Sebastian . . ." Tanaka said quietly with a thermometer in his hands, "I'm going to take your temperature."

Sebastian's only response was a slight moan.

After checking the thermometer, Tanaka recoiled in shock.

"Sebastian, what temperature is considered normal to your kind?"

Sebastian looked as the steward with a weak and tired gaze, "150 degrees . . ."

"What would your kind define as a fever?"

"195 degrees . . . or above."

"And what temperature is considered deadly?"

"221 degrees . . . or higher."

Ciel walked up beside Tanaka, "What is his temperature?"

"212 degrees." Tanaka said sadly.

It was a ridiculous number to humans. 212 degrees Fahrenheit was the boiling point of water. But it didn't feel anywhere near that hot when anyone touched him. It was definitely hotter than what a fever could be for a human, but aside from that Sebastian was still tangible.

Ciel nodded and sat down beside Sebastian, "We're taking you to the Trancy manor. Tonight. Their butler, Claude Faustus, says he'll try to help us."

Sebastian wasn't at all pleased with the idea. He knew of Claude and his contract with Alois Trancy. But even he had to admit there was no other option for him. They didn't have a cure and the odds of him being able to hold out on his own until the sickness worked its way out of his system were slim to none. Claude had at least developed the high medical skills of a good doctor in his time in the human realm. Going to him was better than not going at all.

In a few hours, the Phantomhive household had their belongings packed into a carriage, ready to make the long trip to the Trancy estate.

"Are you sure you're fit enough to travel?" Tanaka asked Sebastian.

"I've weathered worse." The demon replied quietly, "I can handle it."

"Just tell us if the ride becomes too rough for you."

Sebastian nodded and loaded himself into the carriage with a bit of help from Baldroy and Mey-Rin. The other servants would be riding in a separate carriage.

"Finny." Baldroy called out, "Where are you? We're about to leave."

The young carrot-top gardener dashed out of the garden, "Sorry! I was just making sure the plants had enough water, and I spotted a nifty-looking herb that was growing near one of the rose gardens."

"An herb?" Ciel inquired.

"Yeah, want to come and see it?"

Ciel followed Finny out into the rose gardens. In several places, a plant no bigger than a man's hand was growing. It was cactus-like in appearance, with a smooth outside and sharp black spines covering it, only instead of being green the outside was a rich brown in color with white speckles patterning it. There were many of these plants.

"I wouldn't mess with it." Ciel said as he headed back towards the carriage, "Sebastian can identify it when he's better."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The jolting starts and stops of the carriage weren't the least bit comfortable to Sebastian. Noise easily cut through the walls, increasing the amount of pain he felt in his head dramatically. The movements of the carriage brought on a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, which he was determined to keep down.

Eventually, from bitter exhaustion, Sebastian put his head down and fell asleep, despite the roughness of the ride. Ciel watched in silence. The hard look he normally carried on his face had been wiped away hours ago. In all honesty, he felt bad for Sebastian and he was angry at himself. The bruise he had made on the demon's face was still there. It had neither grown nor shrunk in size, but it had definitely darkened in color. It was as dark as bruises possibly came, and although there was no swelling, it still looked mighty painful.

It astonished Ciel just how weak Sebastian had become in the past few days. In a single day he had gone from being able to walk in a straight line to barely being able to walk at all, due to exhaustion. And another day after that he had gone from merely coughing every so often to going into a coughing fit within each hour and coughing up blood. He knew that if Claude couldn't help them, then Sebastian was going to die.

At one point, the sights became unfamiliar to Ciel and every new sight caught his attention. Farms, fields of bright red poppies, a large forest, which lay ahead of them, and within those woods; the Trancy estate. They had been in the carriage for nearly two hours. Most likely Sebastian was completely out of it; lost in the deepest depths of unconsciousness.

When the mansion came into full view, Ciel spotted a blond-haired boy about his age standing near a black-haired butler with a pair of spectacles on his face. Near him were two young servants who he guessed were twins, since they looked completely identical. A maid in a soft purple and white uniform with long lavender-colored hair stood by the twins. She looked shy and lost in thought. The whole house must have been anticipating their arrival.

The blond-haired boy spotted Ciel, even from a distance, and his face fell in shock.

"Claude . . . is that Ciel Phantomhive?"

"Yes, you're Highness." Claude replied, "But remember: I didn't ask them to come so we could obtain him. I asked them to come so we could help his butler, Sebastian Michaelis."

"What? But Claude . . ."

"You will get your revenge, Alois, I swear that much. But it will have to wait a while longer. You can make friends with Ciel Phantomhive for now, can't you?"

Alois crossed his arms and sighed, "I suppose so. But what about Sebastian, then? Aren't you going to torture him, at least? Maybe refuse to give him medicine or try to do something to make his sickness worse?"

"No, sir. I fully intend to help Sebastian, just as I'm helping Thompson."

"Claude?" Hannah piped up suddenly, "I hope you know what you're doing. Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis are part of Alois' goal. Shouldn't we obtain the earl while we can?"

"Not now, I said! For now, I wish for all of you to treat our guests with your outmost respect."

"And how am I expected to do _that_?"

"Just treat Sebastian the way you would treat Thompson, or any of the other triplets, Hannah, and treat Ciel Phantomhive as you would treat our young master."

"Yes, sir."

Their conversation ended just as Ciel's carriage came to a stop.

Ciel turned to Sebastian, who still lay sleeping in the seat across from him. With a gentle hand, he tried to shake the butler awake.

"Sebastian . . ." he called out quietly, "Hey Sebastian, wake up."

Sebastian's eyes fluttered open and he relieved a quiet moan, "Where are we?"

"We're at the Trancy Manor, remember?"

"Trancy . . .?"

"Yes."

The door to the carriage opened to reveal Baldroy.

"How's he doing?" the chef asked.

"He weak and tired." Ciel replied, "I don't think he can handle being moved around much more. We should probably get him inside and in a bed soon. This constant movement can't be good for him."

Baldroy nodded and carried Sebastian in his arms.

Claude strode up to them, "I can take him."

Bard gently placed the demon in the Trancy butler's arms. Claude instantly recoiled in shock at how hot he felt.

"What's his temperature?"

"When we checked, it was 212 degrees." Tanaka informed him.

"So it's definitely a fever, then. I'll take him inside and get him comfortable. The others will unpack your things and take them to your rooms."


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sebastian was situated in a guestroom. His bed was in an opposite corner from Thompson, so Timber and Canterbury could tend to him without disturbing the butler's rest. Claude had begun placing cold, wet cloths on Sebastian's forehead to bring his temperature down—or to at least try to. Hannah was kept busy switching the cloths out. They became boiling-hot in a matter of minutes and although it was nothing but lukewarm water to the demons of the Trancy household, the servants of the Phantomhive household were specifically asked not to touch it.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Mey-Rin asked Claude as she twiddled her fingers.

"Yes," he replied, "I'd like you to bring me a pitcher of ice water and a glass. Sebastian needs fluids and we need a quicker way to lower his temperature."

"Yes, sir!"

Mey-Rin was about to trot off to fulfill Claude's request when Baldroy stopped her.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." He said, "You could trip and fall, or worse: you could end up getting something that _isn't_ water."

Mey-Rin blushed, "Goodness me, you're right! I'm such a klutz, yes I am!"

"I can go and get the ice water."

"Well then, what can I do?"

Sebastian shifted in bed suddenly, ". . . blankets."

Mey-Rin moved slightly closer to him since his words were too hushed for her to hear, "What was that, sir?"

". . . Cold." Sebastian said quietly, "I need . . . more blankets."

Mey-Rin nodded and turned to Claude, "Where do you keep the blankets, Claude?"

"They're in the supply cabinet in the hallway." Claude replied.

* * *

"Come on, Sebastian. You have to drink it."

Hannah and Claude had been trying for several minutes to get Sebastian to consume the ice water Baldroy brought back and although they had managed it get the demon to take the brim of the glass in his mouth, Sebastian couldn't find the strength to swallow any of it. His throat burned, as if there was a piece of white-hot medal wedged in it and if he tried to cough to relieve it, blood came up and his throat hurt more than it had before.

At the same time, Claude and Hannah didn't try to force the cool liquid down his throat. If Sebastian didn't drink it willingly he'd only inhale it, and that would cause even more problems and weaken him even more.

Hannah stroked Sebastian's throat, trying to encourage him to swallow. Eventually Sebastian attempted to consume the amount of water in his mouth. It made the pain in his throat flare and the energy he had left him in large amounts. He pulled his head away from the cup when he couldn't drink it anymore. He felt sick . . . or like he was going to be sick.

He was thankful a wastebasket had been provided for such an occurrence, because no sooner did he lie back down, he felt the water begin to work its way back up from his stomach. He felt his stomach heave and he quickly put his head over the wastebasket. A gush of fluid spewed from his mouth, but by no means was it just the water there.

Claude and Hannah grimaced as the watched blood pour out of Sebastian's mouth with each heave his stomach gave. The sight was awful and it wasn't a good sign for the Phantomhive butler.

The spewing only lasted about a minute, but it left Sebastian completely drained of energy. When the vomiting subsided, he collapsed onto the mattress, gasping for breath; a sign that blood was beginning to pool into the lungs, as well. Only then did Hannah and Claude turn their heads back to take in the sight in front of them; a trashcan full of blood and an energy-drained, deathly pale Sebastian.

Claude pulled his spectacles from his face and slid them into the pocket of his tailcoat.

"Back to square one."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

After hearing of Sebastian's fit earlier that evening, Ciel pressed Claude for answers of a cure. He brought up the topic of the Black Demon Root and demanded further information.

"What does it look like?" he asked as the butler sat researching the Demonic Plague, searching for cures and remedies, himself, "Have you ever seen it?"

"A few times," Claude replied, "It's supposed to be a carnivorous plant meant to look like a bizarre sort of cactus. Its skin is black and smooth and it's covered in white or grey stripes . . . or was it spots? The needles that cover this plant have been known to wrap around insects and small animals and kill them by impaling them and consuming their bodily fluids. The meat of the plant and its leaves are rumored to be toxic to both humans and demons, but the roots of the plant are safe for demons to eat. The roots contain properties that can heal any injury and treat any illness. Even a wound caused by a demon sword can be healed by the Black Demon Root. It is the only thing that can cure the Demonic Plague."

Ciel nodded, "Does it grow in a specific place?"

"It can grow anywhere. From here, to the tops of the world, to the bottom of the deepest ocean, to desserts, to the moss growing on a solid rock; it thrives under any condition."

The descriptions of the plant and its properties fascinated Ciel. No plant he had known of in this world was like that, but then again it was something only immortals had heard of.

"The problem, though," Claude spoke up, "Is the fact that I have _no idea_ where to start looking for this blasted plant. We don't have the time to search every given corner of the world."

Ciel knew the true meaning behind the words. If they didn't find this cure soon, then Sebastian could get even worse and die.

"About what you said earlier about Sebastian . . ." he said, "How much worse could he get?"

Claude set the quill he had been rolling between his fingers back into his tiny container of ink and sighed, "His eyes will start to water. If that happens, the fluid will appear thick and black, like this ink. The blood flowing into his lungs will slowly start to suffocate him if he doesn't cough it out. And if left untreated, the fever and bleeding will be enough to kill him. If your contract seal starts to fade, that's usually a given that he might not make it."

The statement made Ciel weary of his contract seal, which was placed over his right eye. No sooner had he left Claude's office, he went to the nearest mirror and tore off the black eye patch that hid the seal. His eye was still the same soft shade of purple and each detail of the pentagram that made up the seal was still visible. So Sebastian wasn't quite in danger . . . yet.

Having nothing else to do and nowhere else to go, Ciel walked down to the guestroom where Sebastian was being kept. What a surprise he found when he saw Alois sitting at the foot of the Phantomhive butler's bed with his head sitting in an upturned palm, watching Sebastian sleep.

"Alois?" Ciel asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, originally I came in here with Hannah to check on Thompson because I was bored." Alois explained, "But then your servant caught my attention. He's far more peaceful and friendly-like when he sleeps; he's almost like a child."

Ciel snorted, "Don't be insulting."

"Sorry, I just got so caught up in watching him that I stopped paying attention to the time."

Nodding, Ciel sat down next to the Tracy earl and watched over Sebastian in silence. They didn't look at each other, keeping their eyes on the sleeping servant.

"Do you care about him?" Alois asked suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Sebastian, do you care about him?"

Ciel wasn't entirely sure how to respond to the question. They had been nothing more than master and servant to each other for the past few years, and what's more was that Sebastian considered him nothing more than his next meal; a meal he was going to enjoy every second of devouring. But even Ciel had to admit that he would be lying if he just said no.

"He's merely my chess piece." He said.

" . . . But?"

"But, I don't want to lose him. That's how . . . "important" of a chess piece he is."

Alois shrugged, "I kind of care about Claude, too. But he ensnares me in his spider webs; webs of nothing but lies and action with no emotional reason behind them. I guess I really am nothing more than a meal for a hungry spider, after all. Like a butterfly with a crippled wing, I cannot escape."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

It was Tanaka who put Ciel to bed that night. He still hadn't gotten over that. It was Tanaka who tucked him under the covers and blew out the candles to his own, private room. It was Tanaka who stayed with him until he fell asleep. It was Tanaka . . . instead of Sebastian.

He didn't know how long he'd been asleep, all he knew was when he woke up Tanaka was gone and that he had been startled out of sleep by the sound of footsteps running past the door to his room.

Silently, Ciel crept out of his room in his nightshirt. He followed the footsteps to the guestroom where Sebastian was kept. He hid behind a corner so he could see what was going on without being seen.

Sebastian was leaning over the edge of his bed, blood spewing out of his mouth in what had to be gallons. The sight was still horrific to Ciel. The deathly grey color of Sebastian's skin was only emphasized by the glow of a few individual candles lighting the room.

"Take it easy." He could hear Claude say, "Was it the water again, Hannah?"

"No, sir." The maid replied, "I found him like this and I ran to get you."

When Sebastian had emptied his stomach, he collapsed back onto the bed. His eyes couldn't focus on anything and eventually closed once more with exhaustion.

"I'm going to take his temperature." Claude said as he took a thermometer in his hand and placed it in Sebastian's mouth.

While he waited, Claude checked on Thompson briefly, who appeared to be sleeping soundly in his bed on the opposite side of the room. It was clear to Ciel that the young servant had a far less severe form of the Demonic Plague. Though he was feverish, bruised, pale, and coughing, Ciel hadn't seen the slightest traces of blood coming from the younger demon.

As he moved back to Sebastian, Claude took the thermometer in his hand and looked at the resulting temperature. He was silent.

"It's bad, isn't it, Claude." Hannah stated quietly, noticing the way the Trancy butler had paused upon laying eyes on the number it read.

His breath stuttered as he replied, "218 degrees."

His temperature had shot up. Ciel had a feeling it had something to do with the trip here. 218 degrees wasn't too far off from 221, and he knew this wasn't good.

And then, Sebastian opened his eyes partially. A shaky, pale hand dappled with smaller bruises reached for Claude's arm. He opened his mouth to speak, but rather than words, a slur of sounds—sounds that couldn't even be defined as a language—came from his mouth; soft and weak.

Whatever this strange gibberish was, Ciel could tell Claude and Hannah could understand it, because they instantly started speaking the bizarre language back to him. The tone of the butler and the maid sounded serious, almost as if they were trying to talk Sebastian out of something. Sebastian's voice, though quiet, sounded sad and remorseful.

Ciel snorted in frustration. He wanted to know what was so important that got Sebastian to speak; and why was he speaking like that? In fact, he was so caught up in these thoughts and questions that he never heard the other two of the triplets—Timber and Canterbury—come up from behind him. One of them picked him up and covered his mouth before the earl could let out a squeal.

"Shh, Lord Phantomhive, shh! It's just us; Timber . . ."

"And Canterbury!" the other chimed in, "Quiet, or Claude and Hannah could hear us."

"Then why are you here?" Ciel growled, "Why aren't you two sleeping?"

"We don't sleep." They whispered in unison. And then, Timber said, "We can translate for you."

"Yes," Canterbury added, "We can translate for you. It's Demon-Tongue. Humans never understand it."

"Just shut up and tell me!" Ciel hissed, doing so as quietly as he could.

"Sebastian said, 'I need to ask you a favor.'" Timber began.

"Claude asked, 'What do you need, Sebastian?'" Canterbury followed.

"Sebastian said, "Things are not looking good from my perspective. I may die.'"

"Hannah said, 'Do not talk like that! Ciel needs you. You can't quit on your contract now!'"

"Sebastian said, 'You do not understand how much this hurts, do you? Unless you manage to get that cure, I am smart enough to know I am going to die.'"

"Claude asked, 'What do you need from us, Sebastian?'"

"Sebastian asked, 'If I die from this, will you take over Ciel's contract?'"

"Hannah said, 'Sebastian, that is illegal. You would be sending me, Claude, and the triplets to a death sentence!'"

"Sebastian said, 'Not unless I grant you permission. Ciel needs his revenge. It would be wrong of me to leave this world with that brat's contract unfulfilled.'"

By now the two demons had caught up to their conversation.

"And now Sebastian is saying, 'At very least, I am leaving my young master in your care until I recover . . . or until I die.'"

Sebastian? Giver their contract to Claude Faustus? No, that couldn't be possible. Nevermind the small insult of Sebastian calling him a brat. Claude was already indentured to Alois Trancy. He couldn't just pass down his contract, could he? A demon couldn't be contracted to two people at once, could he?

"Is everything alright, Lord Phantomhive?" Canterbury asked.

"Yes, you seem a bit flustered." Timber added.

Ciel shook his head, "It's nothing. I'm just tired. I'm going back to bed.

The two servants nodded and watched quietly as Ciel disappeared back into his room.

"Lord Phantomhive seems upset." Timber commented.

"Yes, indeed, he did seem upset." Canterbury agreed, "He does care about Sebastian Michaelis."

"Yes, he cares about him. Do you really think the butler will die though?"

"I don't know. He is weak, but he's bested things like this before so he's strong, too."

"Yes, quite."

Just then, Claude approached them from the other direction with a flat look on his face.

"You two are _terrible_ at being quiet."


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Ciel drifted in and out of sleep several times within a single hour. The conversation that Timber and Canterbury had translated for him replayed through his mind many times over. He couldn't see Claude serving him as Sebastian did. He was stiff and dull, more-so than Sebastian, and from the sounds of how Alois talked about him he didn't try to care about his masters as much as Sebastian did.

This didn't satisfy Ciel. Sebastian didn't lie or keep secrets or sugar-coat things. That's how Ciel was able to trust him over everyone else. How could he ever learn to trust Claude?

Sighing, Ciel rolled over onto his side, only to come face-to-face with Alois resting beside him.

"You?" Ciel asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"

"I'm scared of the dark." Alois replied, "Claude wasn't coming and Hannah is completely useless. My only option was to crawl in here. Please let me stay!"

Ciel was about to force him out of the bed when he remembered something. He remembered how he'd get nightmares and wake up screaming and was scared because it was dark and he was alone. Sebastian wouldn't be able to come to his aid this time if that happened and he doubted Claude would be of any help to comfort him. All he had was Alois, who had almost the exact same problems.

"Fine," Ciel sighed, "You can stay."

"Thanks."

They laid in the dark in silence for some time, not really saying anything to one another.

Eventually Ciel sat up and got up from the bed.

"Where are you going, Ciel?" Alois asked, as if he were afraid to be left alone

"I want to see Sebastian." He replied, "Do you want to come?"

"Sure. I can't sleep anyways."

The two of them walked back down the hall to where Sebastian was kept in silence. Ciel feared what he might see from Sebastian next. Would he still be vomiting blood? Would he be coughing uncontrollably? Would there be more bruises on his skin.

Thank goodness that wasn't the case. Sebastian appeared to be lying in bed, sleeping as soundly as a violently ill person could sleep. At the time, Hannah had taken it upon herself to watch over Thompson and Sebastian, in case either one of them deteriorated in health. She regularly changed out the ice-cold cloths that were placed on their heads and checked their temperatures regularly.

She looked at the young earls as they approached the open doorway.

"What are you two doing up this late hour?"

Ciel spoke before Alois could give the maid a snobby response, "I wanted to check on Sebastian, and Alois didn't want to be left alone."

Hannah gave a small laugh, "Alright then, come on in."

Ciel took a seat beside Sebastian and stroked the raven-haired man's head. He still could stand to touch the skin, but at the same time it was unbearably hot.

At the touch, Sebastian stirred and looked at Ciel; his eyes still holding the same glassy look he had last seen them. In the candlelight, Sebastian looked even sicker. His eyes appeared to be sunken in and his skin appeared to be a greenish-grey in color. Sweat glistened on the surface of his skin like tiny diamonds.

"You're . . . cold, Young Master." He said in a weak, raspy voice.

Ciel shook his head, "No, you're _warm_."

Sebastian let out a wheezy laugh, "I suppose so . . ."

Ciel pursed his lips, "Tell me that was just your fever talking."

"Sir?"

"What you said earlier about Claude taking care of me . . . about taking over our contract if you . . ." He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. He didn't want to face the fact that the one he sold his soul to could die, "Just tell me it was that 218 degrees of a fever talking."

Sebastian couldn't even register how his master had overheard his conversation with Claude. Even in sickness, it was a greater priority to answer the earl's questions.

"I'm afraid not, sir." Sebastian replied sadly, "Much like a servant can be passed to another member of their master's family, a demon can pass his contract to another if it's necessary."

"'If it's necessary'?" Ciel inquired, "Meaning?"

"I _am_ very ill, master. Black Flu is hard on a demon's body. Your contract . . . _you_ are always my first priority, no matter what."

"But I signed a contract with _you_! Not Claude, not Hannah, not the triplets; _you_. You don't lie to me or hide things from me; you say it how it is. I don't think I can trust anyone else to do that."

"Indeed . . ." Sebastian sighed, feeling unconsciousness pulling at him once more, "I promised to never lie to you . . . I promised to protect you, even at the cost of my life . . . I promised to obey any and all orders given . . . I promised, not Claude, not Hannah, not anyone. But . . . I need _someone_ to do this for me, if I am this ill. Otherwise . . . it's a lose-lose situation for the both of us."

Without the energy to continue, Sebastian's eyes slipped closed and he fell into an uneasy sleep once more.

Ciel fought to keep the tears down that threatened to pass from behind his eyes. Without much thought, he slid into the bed and curled up at Sebastian's side. He didn't care how hot the demon felt, but he was tired of simply walking away from him.

Hannah walked out of the room, allowing some privacy. Only then did Ciel ask Alois, who was watching from over his shoulder this whole time, a question Ciel only asked his parents.

"Alois? Would you be ashamed to see me . . . cry?"

The question startled Alois slightly but he only nodded, "It's alright Ciel."

Ciel closed his eyes as tight as he possibly could and buried his face into the crook of Sebastian's neck and let his tears flow free.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Claude never once thought he'd hear of Ciel Phantomhive crying. He'd thought the boy was so hard and so stern not a tear would dare to pass from behind his eyes. But they did, and they were the motivation that got him to gather Timber and Canterbury and search his books cover to cover, searching for any sort of clue where the nearest source of Black Demon Plants grew.

Claude became frustrated, throwing his hands down on the desk in his office as he looked over a detailed sketch of the herb needed.

"What if this damn thing doesn't even exist?" he asked. Despite his own knowledge of seeing the plant himself, he was full of doubt that there was a single Black Demon Plant still in existance. Even things of the demon world and thinks only known by demons could go extinct or run out.

"Oh, but what if it does?" Timber countered.

"Yes, what if it does exist?" Canterbury chimed in.

"Then we need to find it as soon as possible." Claude said, "I'm not sure how long Sebastian or Thompson will be able to hold on."

The other two demons nodded.

Their attention drew suddenly to the door as someone knocked.

"Come in!" Claude called.

The door opened to reveal Finny, Mey-Rin, and Baldroy; dressed in their nightclothes and their hair a mess from sleep or lack of.

"What are you three doing up this late?" Claude asked.

"We couldn't sleep." Bard said, "You know, worrying about Sebastian and all."

"We were hoping we could help you search for this herb you're looking for." Finny added.

Claude sighed, "I'm not sure how much help you'd three would be to us. Even I don't know where to begin."

Finny walked over to Claude's desk. His eyes caught sight of the picture of the herb and he tilted his head curiously.

"That looks a lot like the strange herbs I found growing in our garden."

Claude, Timber, and Canterbury gave the small gardener a strange look.

"Are you sure?" Claude asked anxiously, "It looks like this: small, black, covered in spines?"

"Oh yes, only they were a really dark brown in color."

"They could be ripened black by now . . ." Claude instantly jumped up and grabbed Finny by the shoulders, "You've found the cure!"

* * *

Ciel woke up early that morning, still curled beside Sebastian. It didn't surprise him that he had cried himself to sleep, but in the face of Alois Trancy, it seemed rather humiliating. That is until he saw that Alois had crawled in bed on the opposite side of Sebastian, his limbs wrapped around the butler like he was a pillow. The sight was rather awkward and inappropriate between a mere servant and those of a higher class of person, yet at the same time it was downright laughable.

By now, Hannah had returned to the room and was switching out the cold cloths of Sebastian and Thompson once more.

"I'm happy to say your boys' cooler body temperature managed to bring down Sebastian's fever a bit." She said softly.

"What's his temperature now?" Ciel asked.

"213 degrees; still feverish, but not as bad."

"Does that mean he's getting better?"

"Not exactly, but he has a better chance of pulling through now that your servants have located the cure."

Ciel shot up in bed, causing Sebastian to stir, but he did not wake.

"They found the cure? When?"

"Well, your gardener—the little one—recognized the Black Demon Plant from a picture Claude had and said it was growing in your garden." Hannah explained, "Claude left at around three in the morning to retrieve it."

Ciel was about to say something when a whine from Alois caught his attention. He still appeared to be clinging to Sebastian. Only this time Sebastian was clinging back.

"Ciel . . . do something!" Alois whispered.

"What do you expect me to do? It's helping lower his temperature."

"I don't really care. He's hot, and sweaty, and smelly, and . . . and . . . and _sick_! Make him let go of me!"

The blonde-haired boy tried to pull himself free as Ciel turned back to Hannah.

"So you said Claude and the others left at three to get this herb?"

"Yes," Hannah replied, "I just wonder what on earth is taking them so long."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE 5/21/2014**

_"The popularity of this fanfic never stops impressing me! We have 56 Reviews, 22 Favorites, and 29 Followers; all more than any of my other fics ever gained. I am happy i started this fic and I'm proud of its success. Please keep Favoriting, Following, and Reviewing. I love you all!_

_I would like to take the opertunity now to recognize my cheerleaders who have given me the extra push I need to keep a fic going!_

**_-_SenkoHesegawa**

**-MissesMichaelis**

**-Koragg**

**-promocat**

_You all keep cheering me on and tell my your likes and dislikes of a chapter. It helps with what i need to put into a story to make it better and i thank you all lots for that."_

**-BlackButlerFan13**


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Claude extracted the medicine from the roots of each Black Demon Plant carefully. The medicine ran in veins in the roots. If Claude ran the needle of the syringe in his hands too shallow, he wouldn't get anything. If he ran too deep, he'd wind up extracting the toxic fluid contained within the herb; turning the cure into an effective poison. He had already extracted seven vials of the cure, but it would take a few doses to cure Thompson and many more to effectively cure Sebastian.

"Wouldn't it be easier just to harvest the roots and mash them up into a paste and feed that to them?" Baldroy asked as he watched him. Behind him, Finny stood by and watched silently. Mey-Rin was with Timber and Canterbury, whose attention had been drawn to Pluto, the demon hound.

"It would be," Claude confirmed, "But that would take hundreds of roots and they'd have to consume many gallons of this pulp to be cured; gallons which neither of them can stomach."

Bard nodded as Claude set the eighth vial aside. The official medical property that made up the cure was a bluish-grey color of fluid. Claude knew that those who said to have tasted it by taking it by mouth told of it tasting like the perfect soul; a taste so good to his kind that nothing else he'd eat could ever compare to it. But, by no means was Claude about to down one of the vials for the sake of tasting perfection. One vial contained five doses of the cure, so it was valuable.

Claude filled two more vials before deciding it would be enough for the time. The sun was rising. No doubt Hannah was worrying and Alois was irritated and Ciel Phantomhive was growing impatient. He gathered up the Phantomhive servants and the two of the triplets and started back towards the Trancy manor.

XXX

Ciel and Alois happily played chess as they waited for Claude to return. Though he was uneasy, Ciel had a slight scrap of hope that Sebastian would survive. He had agreed with himself that he would not allow Claude to serve him, no matter what permission Sebastian granted him. Only Sebastian could carry out his revenge. Only Sebastian could have his soul.

"I can't believe you got that butler of yours to let me go." Alois commented.

"It's your own fault for cuddling up on him like that." Ciel pointed out, "You're lucky I knew how to get him to release you without hitting him again. For some reason, petting him like a dog makes his limbs relax."

Alois giggled, "Maybe it's because butler's act like dogs. If their masters tell them to sit or stay, lie down or roll over, speak or fetch, by God they'll do it!"

Ciel hummed, but left the conversation at that. It all mostly had to do with the fact that Alois was right and he had no argument to counter the Trancy earl's statement.

The two of them easily spent two hours playing chess. In that span of time Claude had not returned and Ciel's worry for Sebastian had grown. If his math was correct, it had been six hours since the Trancy butler left to retrieve the cure. He knew that if the task had been left in Sebastian's care it would have been fulfilled hours ago, no matter the circumstances.

"Is something the matter, Ciel?" Alois asked.

His worry must have been showing through.

"I just wonder what's taking your butler so long." Ciel replied, "With Sebastian in his current condition, I'd rather have him cured sooner than later."

"I've been wondering the same thing, actually." Alois confessed, "Sebastian and Thompson aren't going to get better by themselves."

"Really?"

"What?"

"You sound just as concerned about Sebastian as you are with your other servant. I show a similar amount of worry. Why do you care about Sebastian?"

Alois shrugged, "I saw him crying sometime last night. This was after you fell asleep. But it was weird. His tears weren't normal they were black and ink-like, and he appeared to be in a lot of pain."

Ciel felt his heart stop. He recalled Claude saying something about that particular symptom being one of the worst the demon could develop; how it was a sign that Sebastian might not recover and that the sickness could kill him.

"Hannah didn't want me to tell you." Alois continued, "She knew you were already upset about what this sickness was doing to him. That's why I crawled in bed on the other side of him and was cuddling him. Whenever I'm in that much discomfort I prefer to have someone or something to cuddle with."

"If Hannah told you not to tell me, why did you?" Ciel asked.

"Because I knew if it was Claude lying in that bed instead of Sebastian, I would want to know _everything_ that was happening to him."

Despite the fact he was terrified for Sebastian beyond all belief, despite the fact that the cure was not here yet, despite the fact Sebastian could be getting worse now . . . there _was _something.

"You're right, Alois. You're absolutely right."


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Ciel had nothing better to do than to sit at Sebastian's bedside and watch over him as he slept. If it would have helped Sebastian by lowering his temperature, he would have crawled into the bed again and allow the demon to cling to him. Sebastian could no longer stomach the cold water Hannah tried to coax down his throat, as his stomach was mostly full of blood already. Every now and then, the demon would wake from the depths of sleep and spew into the bucket beside his bed, and then he would lay back down and drift back to sleep.

Fortunately, bruises had stopped forming and Sebastian's coughing fits hadn't worsened, although Ciel couldn't see how those two particular symptoms could possibly get any worse than they were now. However, it was difficult for the earl to tell what else was wrong. Sebastian had a boiling-hot fever and was bruised and bleeding—yes—but what about his sore throat? What about the black tears Alois spoke of?

"Where the hell is Claude?" Ciel muttered in frustration as Hannah continued to switch out the cloths laid across Sebastian and Thompson's foreheads.

"I'm not sure, Lord Phantomhive." The maid confessed, "There must be a reason?"

"Indeed . . . that one's certainly been quiet."

Ciel gestured to Thompson, who still lay out-cold in his bed.

"I know." Hannah said, "But his illness is nowhere near as bad as Sebastian's. You could almost compare his to a regular flu."

A door from somewhere in the house crashed open suddenly and footsteps raced towards them. Claude, the remaining triplets, and the Phantomhive servants had returned.

"What the hell took you all so long?" Hannah demanded.

"Extracting the cure from the roots without turning it into poison _takes time_." Claude said in a sharp tone, "Not to mention I had to draw from _many_ plant roots so we'd have enough to cure them both."

He showed her the vast amount of vials containing the bluish-grey liquid he'd been carrying with him.

"Fine," Hannah said, "But we have to hurry. Sebastian's been getting worse."

"How much worse?" Claude asked, stiffening at the statement.

"His eyes water on and off."

"Black fluid?"

"Yes?"

"Bring a few syringes in here. The sooner we administer the cure to these two, the better."

* * *

Claude drew a dose of the medicine from the vial; being mindful of the exact amount he extracted.

"Why can't you give it to him all at once?" Ciel asked.

"Medicine is medicine." Claude replied, "Overdoses can still happen, and just like with human medicine, too much can be lethal. We'll have to give it to him slowly; one dose at a time."

Ciel nodded. He could only watch helplessly as Claude turned Sebastian's head to one side and plunge the needle into the muscle of his neck. Also watching was Finny, who could barely stand to watch as the sight reminded him of the experiments that were done on him; how needle after needle dug into his skin and injected a drug to make him this powerful. But the gardener told himself that the drug Claude was giving the butler would help him get better, and he repeated this to himself so his conscience would be convinced.

Sebastian hardly reacted to the needle piercing his skin, nor did he make a sound as the medicine was pushed out of the needle and into his body.

"So he's going to be alright now, right?" Mey-Rin asked, "He's going to recover now that the cure has been given to him, yes?"

Claude could only shake his head, "I don't know. It's hard to tell if we got it to him on time, but from what Hannah's been telling me, it's most likely tough-and-go for Sebastian."


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

That night, Ciel found himself back at Sebastian's bedside. Unable to sleep and worried sick, he could only sit back and watch the butler sleep, occasionally stroking the man's ebony bangs back over his head to keep them out of his sweat-slicked face.

Ever since Claude had started giving him regular doses of the cure, he found that Sebastian coughed less and less, and the amount of blood that he vomited up became smaller and smaller. But the deathly-sick look on the butler's face remained the same and there had been no word from Claude on his fever.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, sir?" the Trancy butler asked as he walked into the room, preparing another dose of medicine to the two ill demons: Sebastian and Thompson.

"I can't sleep." Ciel mumbled.

Claude didn't argue. Like the many times he had done before over the past day, he turned Sebastian's head to one side, plunged the needle into the muscle of his neck, and pushed the medicine into his body. This time though, the moment the needle pierced his skin, Sebastian let out a slight noise and moaned slightly as the medicine was pushed out of the needle.

As Claude disposed of the syringe, a weak voice caught his attention.

"Are you done poking me with needles, now?"

Ciel drew closer to Sebastian as the butler's eyes began to flutter open.

"It's nice of you to join the living, Sebastian." Claude remarked, "How do you feel?"

Sebastian let out a raspy chuckle, "Like I could run a damn marathon, how do you think I feel?"

The thickness of the sarcasm in Sebastian's voice was a rather prominent sign of his recovery.

"Well," Claude shrugged, "I'd suppose you feel like death, more or less."

Sebastian nodded, "Exactly."

"It's nice to know you're getting better, Sebastian." Ciel commented.

Sebastian rolled his head and looked at the young earl with a questioning glance, "It's late, isn't it, Young Master? What are you doing up at this late hour?"

"I couldn't sleep. You've had us all worried sick."

A slight smirk crossed the butler's lips, "Are you going to try to cuddle up on me like you did the night before?"

Ciel blushed. So the butler knew about that did he? He wondered briefly if Sebastian knew about him crying himself to sleep, as well. But if he knew about the earl crawling into the bed, he was probably aware that he had cried, too, no doubt.

Too proud to confess to it, Ciel could only avert the butler's gaze, "I don't know what you mean."

Sebastian chuckled and nodded, "Whatever you say, sir."

Claude checked Sebastian's temperature.

"You're down to 200 degrees. Looks like it's going to be a fast recovery for you."

Another smirk crossed Sebastian's face, "Naturally . . ."

As Claude exited the room, Ciel _did_ end up crawling back into the bed with Sebastian. They held each other much like a father and son would do, but neither one of them fell asleep right away.

"Young Master?" Sebastian piped up suddenly, "Could I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" Ciel asked.

"Exactly _why_ was that Trancy brat cuddling up on me the night before?"

Ciel never did answer that question.

* * *

As it was expected, recovery came quickly for Sebastian. In a few days' time, his temperature lowered until it was in a completely normal range for demons. The healthy, youthful glow returned to his skin, bringing color to the sickly grey his skin was before.

Just the same, Thompson also recovered. The smaller demon was reunited with his two brothers not long after awakening and he was back to work with them not long after that.

The two violently ill demons that had been on the verge of death not a few days before had now made a full recovery.

Soon it came time for Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian, and the rest of the Phantomhive household to return to their own manor.

"I would like to thank you for everything." Sebastian said to Claude and Alois, "Not just for helping me, but I did take notice to the hospitality you showed to my young master and . . . well, _those four_."

"You should know that the cure was in you manor's garden the entire time." Claude pointed out, "If you would have known that you could have been treated just as comfortably in your master's mansion."

"I knew the herb was there, but I also knew at the time they had not ripened. They were a lighter brown when I had seen them; hardly effective enough to treat my condition, and with the way I was getting even I saw no other alternative."

Claude nodded, "Personally, I wish we could have had you cured sooner. I had vials of the cure stored away just in case someone were to come to me with it and need it, but apparently the Demonic Plague has been running ramped in our realm. I had one demon after another started coming to me for treatment and I quickly ran out."

"I guess you're the one demons come to get treatment for their illnesses, eh?"

Claude shot Sebastian a look but didn't say anything.

"Do they even know how this epidemic started in the first place?" Sebastian asked.

"I was told there was a demon hound that was infested with fleas that were carrying the Bubonic Plague: The Black Death. Does _that_ sound _familiar_, Sebastian? The sickness _you_ spread over five-hundred years ago had mutated into the Black Flu."

"No need to rub my nose in it, Faustus. I get it."

From the carriage, Ciel called for Sebastian. The conversation ended there and the Phantomhive butler returned to his master's side; back where he belonged.

As the carriage pulled away, Alois and Claude were left alone in the front drive.

"I still don't understand it, Claude." The blond-haired boy said, "Why didn't you obtain Ciel Phantomhive and punish Sebastian when you had the chance? You had plenty of chances!"

"It wasn't the right time for that, my lord." Claude replied blandly, "I believe I told you this a few days ago. I can't make that blasted raven demon suffer a fate worse than death if he's already suffering death alone. Believe me, sir, you _will_ see Ciel Phantomhive again, and when you do I shall carry out your revenge."

Alois smirked.

"That's my Claude!"

* * *

THE END

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE 6/2/2014**

_"I know, what a way to end a story that had so many ups and downs and twists and turns. And in the end i decided to tip-toe along the lines of the second season. I know it wasn't the most satisfying ending ever, but, HEY not too shabby, right?_

_And now i do believe i shall be working on 'Black Butler: Eternal Vows' now; a love story between Sebastian and Claude. Feel free to check it out if you're interested."_

**-BlackButlerFan13**

_"P.S. : I have an official page on Facebook, for updates on In-Progress works and future works._


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